Elbit Systems to provide TF/TA systems for RoKAF's future KF-X fighter aircraft

Israel’s Elbit Systems announced on 6 February that it has been awarded a contract by Hanwha Systems to equip the Republic of Korea Air Force’s (RoKAF’s) future KF-X fighter aircraft with its terrain following/terrain avoidance (TF/TA) systems.

A CGI impression of the RoKAF's future KF-X fighter aircraft. Israel’s Elbit Systems announced on 6 February that it has been awarded a contract to supply the platform with its embedded Terrain Following-Terrain Avoidance systems. (Via MBDA)

The Haifa-based company said in a statement that the contract, which is worth USD43 million, will be performed over a six-year period.

“Embedding Elbit Systems’ TF/TA solution enables fighter jets to fly and manoeuvre safely at low-altitudes, in zero visibility, and harsh weather conditions [instrument meteorological conditions], thereby enhancing their capability to operate undetected in hostile territory,” said the company.

Interfacing with the autopilot system, the TF/TA avionics system to be supplied to the South Korea “fuses data from a range of onboard sensors and a digital terrain elevation data base, together with flight performance characteristics, enabling the aircraft to maintain optimal altitude throughout the mission”, it added.

South Korea has been making progress with the development of its future Korean/Indonesian Fighter eXperimental (KF-X/IF-X) fighter aircraft. The country’s Defence Acquisition Program Administration confirmed in September that Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is expected to complete construction of the first KF-X prototype by the first half of 2021 and conduct the first test flight of the platform a year later.

The agency said at the time that the critical design phase of the aircraft had been completed, allowing the KF-X/IF-X project to move to the prototype construction phase.